Two Hours
by Ayame Majikku
Summary: At Gheeth's Shop, the group asks for the blacksmith to make something, but they have to wait two hours... The question is: can Arche and Chester get along for two hours, or will they drive everyone else insane? ArcheChester, ClessMint, KlarthMilard
1. The Bet

**Merry Christmas, Starry-chan! It's not really a Christmas setting, but... it's a cute little fic I wrote for you about the ToP gang buying stuff, and... Well, you'll see.**

**Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Phantasia. It is owned by Namco.**

**--Two Hours--**

A party of six entered a small shop. They immediately started browsing the weapons and armor; they needed the best of the best for their upcoming fight against the demon king Dhaos. There were four people working here—three behind the counter, and one roaming around the store.

"Wow!" exclaimed Chester, the archer. "Hey Cless, come check this out!" In his hands, he held a bow. The swordsman, Chester's best friend, hurried over. "This bow is amazing...!"

Cless turned to a young lady at the counter. "How much does it cost?"

"148,000 gald," answered the lady.

"148,000..."

"...gald..."

The two best friends could hardly believe their ears. This was the most expensive place in all of Aselia!

"What about this rare plate?" Klarth, the summoner of the group, questioned.

"82,000 gald."

"Wha?! These things are too expensive—how the heck do you expect anyone to buy them?!" demanded Chester.

"Look..." the young ninja known as Suzu spoke up. "This combo command might be useful."

"That's 400,000 gald," the young man at the counter spoke up.

"...Cless, how much money do we have...?" the healer of the group, Mint, asked.

"500,000 gald... not enough for everything... We'll have to choose what we get carefully."

"All right, then! Let's go!" cheered the witch Arche. She motioned to the door, and waited for her companions to exit. The other five exchanged confused and sad glances before exiting, one by one. The only one who stayed a little longer was Chester, who was too absorbed by the magnificence of the bow.

Annoyed, Arche stormed over to him and grabbed his ear. "I _said_, let's go!" She pulled his ear and, ignoring his yelps and complaints, dragged him out the door.

Outside, she let go, and the archer rubbed his sore ear. "H-hey! What the heck was that for?!" he demanded.

"You wouldn't come!"

"You didn't have to drag me out like that!"

"Chester, Arche, please stop arguing..." Cless' head hurt from all the arguing the two did on their journey—it never seemed to stop.

Chester and Arche glared at each other a minute longer before angrily turning away with a "hmph!" from both of them.

"It's a shame..." muttered Klarth. "Those items would've been useful... They had a lot of great armors for you, Cless."

Arche grinned. "Who said we were leaving them behind?" she questioned sweetly.

"We are _not_ stealing!" argued the archer.

"I never said we were!"

"Then what _were_ you saying?!"

"We're bargaining!"

"...What?" Everyone stared at her, confused.

Arche rummaged through their items, searching for something... Soon enough, she pulled out lipstick. "Who wants to give it a try?" she offered.

"Well there's only three girls..." muttered Cless. "But I don't see how lipstick will help..."

Arche rolled her eyes. "Honestly, don't you know anything?" She used the lipstick, putting it on, and then passed it to Mint. Mint stared at it, confused, while Arche went back to searching through the pack. "Put that on, Mint."

Mint turned to Cless, worried and speechless.

The swordsman shrugged. "I don't think it'll even help... but let's see what Arche has planned." So Mint put on the lipstick, and then Suzu.

Meanwhile, Arche found what she was searching for. She held up what looked to be a perfume bottle. Chester opened his mouth to speak, but he was too slow—Arche sprayed the perfume all over the group. They started coughing, Chester's cough being the worst, as some had gotten in his mouth. The witch only laughed as she sprayed some on herself as well. "Now then, shall we?" she asked sweetly as she opened the door, ignoring her companion's coughing. They followed her inside, and Arche went straight to the counter.

"Hello there! Welcome to Master Gheeth's shop," the young lady greeted.

"Say, how much will it be for everything?" Arche questioned as sweetly and cutely as she could muster, which was pretty cute and sweet.

"For the boys? 184,450 gald!" cheered the shop lady. The boys could hardly believe their ears—they exchanged astonished expressions.

"T-then we'll need three rare plates, two rare gauntlets, and one of everything else..." Klarth spoke up.

"That's 296,150 gald."

"And the combo command is 200,000 gald, miss!" called the young man behind the counter.

"Sold!" yelled the witch. "Cless, where's that money?"

"O-oh! R-right..." All Cless could wonder as he pulled out the money was what happened to the bargaining aspect of that?

They bought the items, and then sold their useless items. The three boys had new armor, and Chester had a shining new bow at his disposal. They were all still amazed at how well Arche's trick worked!

"Arche..." The swordsman turned to thank her, only to find her flirting with the young man behind the counter. The young woman was watching Cless, Klarth, and Chester, intrigued. She struck up a conversation with the archer, leaning over the counter to get closer to the man. "...Wait a sec..."

"Did you just realize what she did?" questioned the summoner.

"You mean you knew?!"

"It was obvious—honestly, you've been traveling with Arche as long as I have... Is it really that surprising?"

Cless thought about this. No, no it wasn't, but...

"We got new items to help us fight Dhaos, right?" Klarth pointed out.

"I suppose so, but..." He couldn't help but feel sorry for Chester, who was completely oblivious to why the young lady shopkeeper was so intent on talking to him.

"Cless-san, do we have any ivory?" Mint suddenly spoke up; the swordsman spun around to find her talking to the last shopkeeper, a man with green hair. Cless, Klarth, and Suzu joined her at the man.

"Hey," he greeted. "I'm looking for some ivory... I'd like to make an ivory carving. If you get me some, I'll make you something nice, too."

The leader of the warriors began searching through their supply of junk until he dug out some ivory tusks.

"You have some!" exclaimed the blacksmith. "What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"Yes." Cless passed the ivory over the counter.

"Alright, we have a deal! Give me about two hours, then. I'll hurry up and make your thing first." He turned to the old man wandering around the store. "Hey, gramps! Gimme a hand with this!"

And so, the two hour wait started.

As the young lady at the counter, Sammy, talked to him, Chester couldn't keep his eyes off of Arche. More of, he was glaring at Arche and the man she flirted with. She talked so fast that no one could keep up with her, but the man still pretended to be interested.

Mint walked over to Arche, which prompted the young man to start flirting with her as well.

"Uh-oh, Arche's trick lasts a little long..." muttered Klarth.

"What do you mean?" questioned the swordsman, having not noticed the man flirting with Mint yet.

"I said nothing!"

"Klarth-san, what did you—" He noticed. "...Arche can't just make a trick like this...!"

"Calm down, Cless. I'm sure it'll wear off soon..."

"Hey, Chester-san, have you ever seen it?" Sammy spoke up, catching the archer's attention.

"Seen what?"

"Haven't you been listening, Chester-san...?"

"Huh? Oh... sorry. What were you saying?"

"The Alvanista special performance!"

"Hey!" Arche dashed in, literally pushing Chester out of the way. "I've heard of that! What's it about?"

"Arche!" yelled the archer. "You can't just push me like that!"

"You were in my way!"

"I was talking over here!"

"Well now it's my turn!"

"Why are you always such a brat?!"

"Why are you always such a jerk?!"

The two glared at each other yet again.

"A-Arche-chan, Chester-san..." While Mint tried to get her friends to stop arguing, Cless walked over to the other side of her, placing himself between the cleric and the male shopkeeper. His eyes were on Mint. She _did_ look really cute... _Has she always looked that cute...?_ he couldn't help but wonder. Before he knew what he was doing, he reached out and grabbed her arm.

Mint spun around, startled. "O-oh! Cless-san..." She fell into silence, and the two just stared at each other.

"So we have a glaring contest and a staring contest..." observed Klarth. "What next?"

"What's going on...?" the ninja asked, confused.

"It's a little thing called 'love'..." With that word, he couldn't help but think about his assistant, who was at home waiting for him. "Milard..." he muttered to himself. "I wonder how you're doing..."

"Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah. Anyway, Cless and Mint are probably realizing that they like each other, but it'll probably be a long time before they admit it. And Chester and Arche... the day they realize that they like each other will be the day the world stops."

"Because they're always arguing?"

"Something like that..."

Cless suddenly let go of Mint's arm and averted his eyes. "Um..."

The cleric also looked away, unsure of what to say. "I-is something wrong, Cless-san...?"

"N-no! Not at all..." Neither of them said a word, but neither of them looked at the other, either.

"Stop glaring at me, you jerk!" Arche suddenly yelled.

"You started glaring at me first!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not did not did not!"

"Did to did to did to!"

Angry, Arche turned to the swordsman. "Cless! Tell Chester that he started this!"

"Oh yeah, real mature there!" combated the archer.

"Shaddup! Why are you always such a prick?!"

"Didn't we already go over this, you stupid girl?!"

"Why you...!"

"...My head hurts..." complained the summoner.

"Yeah, mine too..." Suzu agreed.

"Arche-chan, Chester-san... Why don't you use these two hours to try not arguing?" suggested Mint. "If you do that, we'll give you something special!"

"Something special? Like what?"

"Anything you want," moaned Cless. _If they manage not to argue for two hours, I don't _care_ what they want... at least we'll all be sane._

"...No one could give me what I want the most..." muttered Chester, but only Arche heard his words. Speaking up, he said, "Fine, we won't argue for two hours."

"So it's settled, then! No arguing 'til the ivory's done!" cheered the witch. Chester withdrew to the side of the shop, while Arche began talking to Sammy. Mint and Cless stood next to the half elf, listening to the conversation going on, but giving no input.

After about thirty minutes, Chester was really fighting the urge to make a quip at Arche's loudness. _What I want the most..._ he thought. _"Onii-chan!"_ Her voice echoed in his memory, but it would never—it _could_ never be heard again... _"I'm already an elegant lady!"_

_No... you were only eleven years old..._

_"Onii-chan... I'm sorry..."_

_"What's wrong? Don't you like it...?"_

_"No, it's not that... When I was little, for my birthday present..."_

_You were still little..._

_"I said 'I want mother and father'... just like that..."_

_"...What... worried about such a thing?"_

_"You also felt lonely without parents. But I... said that with my own selfishness."_

_You had every right to be selfish... I'm being selfish now..._

_"Whenever a birthday comes, I remember... Onii-chan's sad face at that time... I can never forget..."_

_Don't remember that..._

_"...Well, Ami... that was when we were little. Forget about it already."_

"Chester, are you okay?" Cless questioned.

"You can talk. It might show us that you and Arche can carry on a conversation _without_ arguing," Klarth dared to point out.

"Klarth-san, don't push our luck..."

"We can talk without arguing!" Arche said sweetly. "Right, Chester?"

"Y-yeah..." _Just a conversation, right?_ He could pull that off—he was sure he could. He walked over and joined the group in front of the counter.

"So what were you thinking so hard about?" She asked the wrong question.

"It's nothing..." He fought to keep his voice low. _No one can give me what I want most... but I'm not going to stop Arche from getting what she wants most._

A thought occurred to him. "...When's your birthday, anyway?"

"Huh? Where'd that come from? Does it really matter?"

"I guess we won't be traveling long enough to see everyone's birthday..." realized the swordsman. "Hey, I know! Before we fight Dhaos, we should have one big birthday celebration for all of us! We'll stop by Alvanista and buy presents for each other there!"

"That's a great idea!" agreed Mint. "We could then take them somewhere for a picnic!"

"Yeah, as long as Arche doesn't cook!" Chester couldn't help himself—after their experience with picnics at the limestone cave, Arche was infamous among the group for being a terrible cook.

Arche opened her mouth to argue, but quickly shut it again. _I can only have what I want most for two seconds... but holding this for two hours is worth it. Besides..._

"I'm learning, right? Mint's teaching me!"

"Mint's a good teacher, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh that's right, didn't she also teach that one little girl piano lessons?" the swordsman put in, trying to stop an argument before it happened.

"You're right!" Arche exclaimed, having forgotten. "I wonder how she's doing now..."

"That last concert we heard of hers was absolutely splendid," added the summoner. "Just think of how much she improved thanks to Mint's teaching!"

The cleric turned away, her face completely red from all of the compliments. "Oh stop it... I didn't do that much..." The others only laughed.

"Hey, how much longer do we have?" Chester questioned. "I can't wait to try out this new bow!"

While she could've made a quip at him in less than a second, Arche had to think about something _nice_ to say to him... without being too nice, of course. "We'll go beat up some monsters after this!" _...Or will the monsters beat up you because you can't aim?_ He _could_ aim, very well, in fact, but Arche liked to tease him about when he first joined and missed a lot, especially with his wounds distracting him at the time.

"Yeah, that sounds good! And we can see what that combo command thing does!"

"Suzu, do you have any idea what it's for?" Cless asked.

"I don't know."

"Then why did you suggest it?!"

"Geez, we all thought you knew just what the heck it is!" Arche agreed with the archer.

"It looked useful." As the ninja argued, but the other three didn't listen; they just stalled in complete shock.

"...What's wrong with you guys?" The half elf noticed the staring first.

"You two _agreed_ on something," Klarth ventured to say.

"Shut up!" Arche and Chester chorused. They both started to turn to glare at each other, but then they remembered that they still had about an hour to go without arguing; they immediately turned away from each other. The other four and the shopkeepers couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"Cless-san..." Mint whispered, and the swordsman turned to her. "It's going really well, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah. We're probably going to have to figure out how to get money quick!" Cless replied with a laugh.

"Yeah... but we promised!"

Chester and Arche both noticed the sweet moment forming, and neither of them could let it go so casually. At the same time, both pushed Cless into Mint.

"Eh?!"

"Ah...! M-Mint, I..." His face red, the swordsman spun around to the two troublemakers. "Chester! Arche! What was that for?! You could've hurt Mint!"

"Hey, you should be thankful to us!"

"That's right. After all, because of us, you and Mint got to hug in public!"

"W-what are you—"

"Yeah yeah! And just think, if we had better aim, you two could've kissed in public!"

"ARCHE!"

"Uh-oh, he's angry. I'll leave this one to you!"

"Gee, _thanks_!" muttered the archer sarcastically.

"You two have whatever fun you want _yourselves_! I'm going to go wait for the blacksmith to finish!" With that decision, Cless stormed over to the side of the counter where he had ordered the ivory working, while Mint only watched.

"Hey, Cless! What'd you mean by that?!" demanded Cless' best friend, but he didn't answer.

"Well, Mint? How'd you like it?" the other young lady asked in a whisper.

"Eh?!" The cleric tried turning away—her face was completely red—but Arche just followed her.

"Come on, you liked hugging Cless, didn't you? He's too dense, though..."

"W-well..."

"...All guys are too dense..." Arche's eyes fell on Chester for a moment. She turned them away, to Sammy. "Anyway! What were we talking about earlier?"

The shopkeeper smiled. "I forgot..."

"Oh well, we'll just have to talk about something else!" With that, Arche immediately began rambling, and Sammy joined her in a conversation. They were talking about fashion... Mint turned in, curious, but trying not to let on.

"Hey, Suzu! Come join us—we're having a girl talk!" Arche suddenly called over. Curious, the young ninja walked over next to Arche, while Chester stepped out of the way.

"There's an hour left..." he muttered to the closest person—Klarth.

"Are we going to have to listen to Arche ramble for all of it...?"

"Keh... seems like it." And, unable to carry a conversation over the loud girl, they fell into silence.

After about ten minutes, Chester couldn't take it any longer—but just what couldn't he take? _That idiot rambling is probably what's getting on my nerves so much... Either that or standing here doing nothing._ "I'm going to go get some fresh air." He said it so quietly that no one heard him, but Arche noticed as he walked outside, gently closing the door behind him. She continued talking, but she couldn't help but wonder why he walked out.

Outside, Chester leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. _What I want the most..._ He stared up at the trees—sakura trees. All of them were filled with pink flowers. _"Oh yes! I remember... a while ago... everyone from the village planted trees in the forest. The flowers bloom whenever this season comes!"_

_The flowers bloomed..._

Wind blew, catching the small flowers and sending them straight towards the archer. He reached out to grab one, but someone else beat him to it. Surprised, he turned to find Arche standing beside him. She grinned. "Why'd you come outside?"

"...I needed some fresh air."

"Uh-huh." Arche played with the little flower in her hands, twirling it as she stared at it. "So what is it that you want the most, anyway?"

_What I want the most..._ "It doesn't matter."

"Why? Because no one can give it to you?"

_What does she know?!_ "Shut it. I don't want to hear it from you."

"These flowers bloom in the spring... Did a special girl like them a lot?"

_"Every year from now on, these flowers will..."_ Chester paused. "It doesn't matter... all that matters is that I get revenge."

"Ooh, your little sister, then?"

"I said shut it!"

"So that's what you want the most... your sister..." Arche let the flower fall, and it floated away on the wind.

"...I'm only here to get revenge. After that, I don't care what happens."

_Then why aren't you happy...?_ thought the witch. "Will you really be happy with that? Even after you get revenge, your sister won't be back."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear anymore—just leave me alone!"

"Calm down, our two hours aren't over yet!"

"They can't give me what I want anyway!"

"So you're going to stop me from getting what I want most?" questioned Arche. "How rude..."

"Ah... R-right... Sorry."

Both paused as the wind blew again, spreading flowers with it. "...It's in the spring."

"Huh?! Where'd that come from?!"

"Earlier you asked when my birthday is! It's in the spring!" Arche explained, a smile on her face.

_In the spring... it's the same...!_

_"Every year from now on, these flowers will... celebrate your birthday! From now on, remember these flowers on your birthday."_

"So I guess... these flowers celebrate your birthday every year..." muttered the archer.

"Yep!" Another silent pause. "Hey Chester, come back in soon, okay? You don't have to suffer... out here alone."

Chester turned to the girl, surprised. "I'm not..."

"If you keep suffering out here with the sakura trees, we'll only see your sad face with these pretty flowers. I'm sure everyone in there wants you to be happy. So... make sure you do something that'll truly make you happy, okay?" With one more grin, she re-entered the building.

_Arche..._ Chester stared at the trees again. _Ami... can never be there again... I can never be happy with that..._

_...But maybe... I can see the flowers as celebrating Arche's birthday... from now on... She'll be there, right...?_

Inside, Arche went right back to rambling to the girls at the counter, right across from Sammy. Only thirty minutes left...

...But they were the longest thirty minutes of Klarth's life. Arche was rambling the whole time, and while he tried reading, he couldn't concentrate on it; he gave up after ten minutes.

"The latest fashion in Alvanista..." Arche was only at the beginning of her ramblings.

Unable to take it anymore, Klarth spoke up. "You sure talk a lot... I'm gonna die of boredom any minute here."

A noise from the back caught his attention. "It's done!" the blacksmith yelled from the back room, much to the summoner's excitement. The door opened and the blacksmith returned, heading straight over to Cless. "All done! Ivory's great for making Magic Tablets! I used your material to make three Magic Tablets!" He handed the tablets over to Cless, who was appalled. _That's_ what they had waited two hours for? _What's magical about these tablets...?_

"If you find any more ivory, bring it on over," the blacksmith continued.

Cless nodded his thanks and walked back over to the group—Klarth backed up towards the girls to make room for the swordsman on that side of the counter. "Alright, let's go," the summoner said. "Hey, where's Chester?"

"He's waiting outside," answered the half elf. The girls turned back to their host. "See you later, Sammy!"

"See ya!" agreed the happy shopkeeper. "Talk to you later, missy!"

The five finally walked out of the small shop, back outside, where flowers were floating all around and the scent of the ocean was strong. Chester stood right next to the door, his back against the wall. Noticing them, he said, "So you guys are finally done? I was getting tired of waiting."

"Yes, and while we didn't manage to stay completely sane with Arche's rambling, we stayed sane enough," muttered Klarth.

Cless laughed. "Well? What do you two want?"

_What I want the most..._

"Just to beat up Dhaos," the archer stated. "Let's hurry and take him out!"

Cless hadn't expected that—he was at a bit of a loss. "O-okay... What about you, Arche?"

"Well..."

"What do you want the most, Arche-chan?"

_What I want the most..._

"Anything, right?"

"Yeah, that was the agreement."

"All of you agree to this?"

"I'm scared to know what you want now... but yes," input the summoner.

"Spit it out. We don't have all day!" Chester said impatiently.

"Okay, here goes!" She spun around, towards Chester. Before he knew what she was trying to do, she leaned up and her lips met his. After a moment, she drew away. Everyone paused, awe-struck, and Chester's face turned a bright red.

"W-what...?"

"That's a small part of what I want the most!" she said. "Well, let's go! Time to give Chester what he wants, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Cless was surprised by it, too. _Arche and Chester...?_

All except Chester started walking away from the shop. _"If you keep suffering out here with the sakura trees, we'll only see your sad face with these pretty flowers.__"_

_The flowers are supposed to bring happiness..._

_"__I'm sure everyone in there wants you to be happy. So... make sure you do something that'll truly make you happy, okay?"_

_What'll make me happy...?_

_Arche will always be there... Maybe, little by little... I can get rid of this pain... maybe I can live happily again... with her..._

"Chester, are you coming?" Suzu asked, being the only one who noticed him lagging behind.

"Y-yeah!" _But... I'm not ready to admit that to anyone yet...__ Besides, she lives one hundred years in the past... a lot can happen in a hundred years, right? I shouldn't hold my breath... I'll just wait, and... maybe she'll remember... Maybe..._

**----**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays!**

**-Ayame**


	2. The Reply

**What's this? A new chapter to **_**this**_** oneshot? Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. Chester needs a follow-up to that kiss, right?**

**Well, I hope it manages to be as cute as the last chapter... Please enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Phantasia. It is owned by Namco.**

**--**

_"I'm sure everyone in there wants you to be happy. So... make sure you do something that'll truly make you happy, okay?"_

_Something that'll truly make me happy..._ Chester stared at the tree he had previously been using to practice his archery. _Arche..._ Ever since that day, he couldn't get her out of his head. He couldn't remember if he had been thinking about her this much before then or not. _What should I do...? I... don't really want her to forget about me when she returns to the past... Wait, why am I even so worried about this?! Dammit..._ He notched another arrow and aimed at the tree. He released it, and it hit the tree with a _thunk_. He notched another arrow and took aim. _Okay, I just have to get her out of my mind..._ As soon as he thought those words, the kiss came into his head again. _And that... Dammit, why her? And why me?!_ He shot again, only this time he missed the tree. "Keh..." _What's _wrong_ with me?!_

"Chester..." The archer blinked and turned to face the owner of the voice: Cless. "Are you okay? You've seemed kinda out of it lately..."

_What do _you_ think? I just found out that the person I hate likes me._ "I'm fine." He took another arrow and shot it at the tree. He notched yet another arrow and aimed.

"What about the thing with Arche?" Cless asked right before his best friend released. The arrow missed the tree by a long shot.

"Keh..." Chester walked over to the tree and started pulling arrows out; much to his dismay, the swordsman followed.

"You know, Chester... maybe you should try being nice to her for a change."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because she might like it. She's going to return to a hundred years in the past after we defeat Dhaos... Shouldn't you take the chance to compliment her or something before she leaves?"

"I don't care. There's nothing between us—she's just crazy." Chester finished getting the arrows out and returned the salvageable ones to his quiver. "Come on, let's go beat Dhaos already." He led the way back to the group, and Cless sighed before following.

Everyone else was already sleeping by the time they returned, so they laid down. While Cless got to sleep rather quickly, the archer found it hard to sleep. He stared up at the sky, watching the stars, for a long time. _"Maybe you should try being nice to her for a change..."_ That thought dwelled on his mind as he went to sleep.

The next morning, everyone woke up and went about their usual morning business of eating breakfast and packing up the camp. They then hopped on their flying machines and flew towards Friezkiel. They landed just outside of the city and headed in, all freezing within seconds.

Chester fell to the back of the group, his mind still clouded. _Dammit, I can't concentrate like this. What should I do...?!_

"Chester...? Are you all right?" Klarth asked as he fell in line with the teenager.

"I'm fine."

"You seem distracted... You _are_ ready to fight, right?"

"Of course!" Chester quickened his pace.

They reached the church. The archer soon fell to the back again, not paying attention to entering the church or going down into its depths. _Funny... It's spring now, but in Friezkiel, it's still winter... There's nothing here to tell it's spring... To tell it's near Arche's—_

"Chester, watch out!" He tried to spin around, but he was too late; the beast behind him hit him on the back of the head and knocked him out. His friends immediately jumped into action, fighting the monster. Arche flew over while Mint ran, and working together, the two young women got their friend up on the broom so he was leaning on the witch.

"Cure...!" As Mint healed him, the other three of the party hurried over, finished with the enemy. "We should take him to the inn..."

"Right. Let's go!" They hurried out of the church and into the cold city. They took their friend to the inn, bought a room, and laid him down on a bed. Once he was safely lying down, the others sighed.

"Well, I guess we could pick up a few supplies while here... Though I'm not sure if I'm ready to brave the cold again..." complained the eldest of the group.

"I'm going to train while waiting. Suzu, will you join me?" Cless offered. With a nod from the ninja, the two walked out, with the swordsman explaining, "We'll be back in two hours if no one finds us by then."

"Klarth-san..." Mint looked up to the summoner. "We're running a little low on supplies and money... Will you help me choose what to buy?"

"Sure... Let's just not stay out too long..."

"Ah, what about me?" Arche questioned right before the last two exited.

"Will you watch over Chester-san for us?" the cleric asked. "Thank you." She left the room, and Klarth followed, leaving Arche alone with the sleeping archer.

_Well that's just great..._ Arche thought as she stared down at him. She walked over to the bed and stared down at him. _Heh, he looks so peaceful when sleeping... You'd never guess how much of a jerk he is when he's fast asleep like this!_ She couldn't help but grin to herself as she watched him.

_I wonder... what he thought of that kiss... Well, he probably thought nothing of it. He's so dense..._ Her hand found its way to his face, and she gently touched his lips with her fingers as he slept. _Hm... if he's sleeping, I wonder if I could steal another one... Not like he'd ever know..._

Before she could act on this thought, he began moving. She quickly drew her hand away and turned away. _So much for that..._

"...Ow my head..." Chester complained as he sat up, holding the back of his head. He glanced around the room. "Arche...? Where's everyone else?"

"Training and getting supplies. We had to leave the church because of you, you know."

"Keh..." He laid back down and rolled onto his side, his back to the girl.

Arche leaned over him so she could see at least some of his face. "Well, you're awake now, so I'm gonna leave before you start being a jerk." She stood up straight and started walking towards the door.

_"Maybe you should try being nice to her for a change... she might like it."_

"...Hey, Arche..."

The half-elf stopped and turned back at the doorway, wondering what he wanted.

_What the heck should I say...?! I know how to tease her, and that's fun... but she... What's wrong with me...?! Well, I've stopped her now, so I'll just try saying something nice... She'll like that, right? And... I don't want her to forget me after a hundred years..._

"What is it, Chester...?"

"About our usual arguments..." he started, not looking at her. His face felt hot, and his heart wouldn't stop beating hard. _This is crazy..._ "Well, you may be destructive, overly talkative, loud, clumsy, and horrible at everything you try..."

"Wha—"

"But," he continued loudly, cutting her off. He then paused so long that she opened her mouth to say something else; she stopped when she heard a murmur come from him.

"...I'm kinda scared to ask... but what did you say?"

He stared down at the floor so she couldn't see his red face. "It's kinda cute... when you make mistakes..."

Arche gaped at him. _Just how hard did he hit his head...?!_

"And when you're angry and flustered..." he added.

"So basically..." Chester looked up as the girl spoke only to find her charging up. "I'm only cute when I'm making an idiot of myself...?!"

"Ah..."

"You jerk! I'm not just a failure—I have my good points, too!"

"W-wait, that's not what I—"

"Thunder Blade!"

The thunder spell exploded around the young man. "Ow! Arche...!"

"Jerk..." She walked out of the room, angry.

Chester sat up, rubbing his head. "I was _trying_ to compliment you..." he muttered, more of to himself than anyone now. "What did I do wrong...?"

Mint and Klarth walked in, having bought all the supplies for the group. "Chester-san, you're awake..." The cleric hurried over. "We just passed Arche-chan... She looked upset about something..."

"I don't get her..."

"What happened?" the eldest of the group asked as he sat down on another bed.

"I took Cless' advice and tried complimenting her, and she got mad at me..."

"What did you say?" Mint asked, while the summoner wondered if Chester was okay. _Maybe that blow to the head knocked a few things out of place... and for the better, from the sound of it..._

"That she may be loud, destructive, and a failure at everything, but she's cute when she makes mistakes like that... and is angry..."

The other two just stared at him, completely aghast.

_Nope, still the same old Chester,_ thought Klarth.

"Chester-san..." Mint paused, trying to figure out how she could help her friends.

_Good luck, Mint. I don't know if _anyone_ could teach Chester how to compliment a person. The fact that he's trying is miracle enough..._

"Maybe you shouldn't focus on her flaws, but her good points instead. There are lots of ways you can compliment her about how she looks or how strong she is."

"That's boring... It's more fun to tease her."

"You're trying to compliment her. You have to go the full way to do it—you can't stop half way and call it a compliment."

Chester paused, considering this.

"Either that or he could keep trying his methods... and probably be hit by every spell she knows. Maybe she'll try new ones on him so we know what they do," offered Klarth.

"Okay, you win!" The archer held his arms up in surrender. "How do I compliment her...?"

"Try and point out the good points that cancel out the bad things that you said." Mint's suggestion only made the boy _more_ confused. "For example... You said that she was destructive, so maybe you can compliment her by saying that she's powerful, and that you rely on her for battles."

"That sounds a little too..."

"Chester-san..."

"Hm, I wonder what spell she's learning next..."

"Okay, okay! I'll try..."

"Do you know what to do...?"

"...Yeah, I think so." He stood up. "I'll go find her..."

"Do your best, Chester-san."

"Good luck."

With the best wishes from his friends, Chester walked out of the inn and into the snow. _Cold..._ He walked through the white snow, each foot sinking in a little and slowing down his progress. He caught sight of pink hair in all of the white and headed that way. Before long, he found Arche. "Hey..." he called out.

The girl turned to look at him, surprised. "Ah... Why are you following me?!"

"Well... I wanted to apologize for earlier."

"Apologize...? You...?"

"You have some good points, too." He stared at her, thinking. _Okay, let's start with Mint's example of destructive equaling strong... Though I still say she's destructive..._ "The reason your spells are so destructive is 'cause they're strong..." Chester said, not staring at her anymore. The girl watched him, surprised and confused. "...Don't you know how to hold back on them?" he couldn't help but add.

"Not when you're being a jerk."

"H-hey! You little—" he stopped himself just in time. _Why am I even trying again...?_ He couldn't answer himself, but he still couldn't help the want to try. He sighed and turned his back to her, much to her confusion. "And you may be talkative, but you bring up some pretty good points sometimes... It's just hard to find them in all of that ramble."

"It's not ramble! I'm trying to carry a conversation!"

"Uh-huh..."

"Jerk!"

Chester stalled. _Why isn't this working...? I'm complimenting her, telling her what her good points are..._ He turned to look at the girl again. _...Hey, I've got it..._

He turned to fully face her. "And you know, you look pretty nice with all of those clown clothes off!" he said, thinking back to their trip to the hot springs.

"Chester..."

"What?"

She pulled up her broom and hit him in the head with it. "You're horrible!" He fell to the ground after the broom hit. He slowly picked himself up, rubbing his head. "Ow..."

"You're such a dense moron!" She stormed off, even angrier than before.

"Arche..." He stood and followed her. _I don't get it... What am I doing wrong this time?_ He rubbed his head again—two blows in the head didn't exactly help him. Neither did the cold. He started feeling a little dizzy as he walked. Seconds later, he tripped over a rock and fell forward.

However, what most of his body landed on wasn't cold. Quite the contrary, it was warm. Chester blinked and opened his eyes to see pink hair. He had fallen on Arche's back, and her front was in the snow.

"Ch-Chester...!"

"Ah..." He slowly pushed himself up to his knees, and then his feet. She sat up, and took his offered hand to stand. She shivered, freezing now because of the snow.

"Clumsy...!"

"I'm not...! I just got a little dizzy..." He swayed.

"Then why are you out in the cold?" She walked towards him. As she passed by him, she grabbed his hair and scarf and started dragging him back towards the inn.

"Ow...! Hey, Arche! Stop that!"

"Why should I? You're a jerk." Before long, they arrived at the inn. Much to Chester's surprise, Mint and Klarth were out again. Once inside the room, she let go of his scarf and hair and sat down on a bed. He watched her, angry about the way she dragged him.

"You know, you could've just grabbed my hand or something normal!" As soon as he said it, he realized what he was suggesting. "N-not that I'd want you to...!"

"Why are you suggesting it if you don't want it?"

He sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "Okay, today has just been one giant mess. My mind's been going crazy since that visit through the Fenrir church." _No, it was before then... since the kiss..._

"I can tell... I think you went nutty or something."

"I did not! I'm still perfectly sane!"

"Uh-huh..."

"You're the crazy one. Why on Aselia did you choose me...?!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Chester blinked. _Oops... Didn't mean to say that..._

"Chester...?" Arche watched him, while he stared the other way, his face red. "Hey, Chester..." She leaned forward; she grabbed his hair and gave it a small tug.

"Ow! Arche—" He turned to face her only to find her face close. He paused, his face red and his heart beating fast. _She's so close..._

She sighed and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm not going to kiss you again, if that's what you're worried about. That was just for the bet."

_For the bet... that we wouldn't argue for two hours..._

"Yeah, yeah... We managed not to argue for two hours, but I bet you couldn't keep quiet for even two minutes."

"Yes I can!"

"Prove it."

"...What do I get if I win?"

_What she gets is..._ "...What you want the most. However..."

Arche blinked and stared at him, awe-struck. Her gape turned into a grin and she nodded, going ahead and starting without a word. "However, if I win, I get whatever I want," he added; she nodded again.

Chester watched her. _Heh, now to mess with her some..._ "Oh right... I talked to Mint earlier. It seems we don't have enough money for food... so someone's going to have to miss dinner. I hope you don't mind, but I volunteered you for that."

"_What_?! How could you?!"

"I won."

"Oh... You tricked me!" She hit him lightly on the chest, while he laughed. "You jerk!" She sat straight up, folding her arms over her stomach and pouting. "Okay, what do you want?"

"Are you sure you're up for the challenge?"

"Of course! Now stop being a jerk and spit it out already!"

"Okay..." Chester leaned forward and put one hand on the bed and one hand around Arche's waist. He pulled her forward a little and kissed her. After the short moment passed, he pulled away and stared at her. "You may be an idiot, but you better remember me after a hundred years."

Arche giggled. "You can't say anything nice, can you...?" She hugged him. "If I do, just try complimenting me or something... It'd be hard for someone to forget how terrible your compliments are."

"Hey... At least I tried..." He hugged her back.

"Yeah, that's shocking enough as it is..."

"Whatever... And don't expect stuff like this much."

"Hey, I better get plenty of it after waiting a hundred years."

"...Maybe. I'll think about it. Depends on how much you remember. Oh, I guess I should make a quiz..."

"Chester! That's mean!"

He laughed.

_Arche... We'll meet again after a hundred years for you... so don't forget me...!_

**--**

**Well, don't expect another chapter... but then again, I said that last time, too, huh? Not planning one as of now, but things could change... Though it is kinda hard to do more fluff with these two, since Chester's so stubborn...**

**Ah well, hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading it!**

**-Ayame**


	3. The Wait

**Updating again! This is a fun little story to come back to every now and then... I plan for one more chapter after this, and then I don't think I can **_**do**_** another...**

**Disclaimer: Same as always. I don't own Tales of Phantasia. It's owned by Namco.**

**--The Wait--**

_"You may be an idiot, but you better remember me after a hundred years."_

Arche played with her spoon, a bowl of half-eaten soup in front of her. _One hundred and two years... I can't see him at all until then... he hasn't even been born yet..._ She sighed and sat back in her chair. _Chester..._ It was only two months since their adventure, but it had been by far the longest two months Arche remembered.

There was a knock on the door. She put her spoon back in the bowl and hurried to answer it. _Who is it?_ she wondered. _Someone to visit Dad? Or Klarth and Milard?_

She opened the door to find a pink haired elf standing there. Arche stared, holding her breath.

"Arche..."

"M...Mom...?"

The woman nodded. "I've been allowed to leave, for a short time... Is your father home?"

"No, he's out right now, but come in...!" Arche could hardly believe it. "I'm sure he'll be back soon!"

Her mother, Ruche, stepped in. "Thank you."

"Things have probably changed since you were last here!" Arche said, excited. "Have a seat at the table! Want anything to drink?"

"I can get it." Ruche walked over to the kitchen and got herself some water. She noticed the bowl of soup on the table. That gave her an idea. "Arche... Do you mind if I cook dinner tonight?"

"Eh?! But you're visiting...!"

"I know, but I haven't gotten to cook dinner for my whole family yet..."

Arche blinked. "Oh... All right..."

"I'll make a special meal for you."

"Then I can't wait!"

As Ruche started cooking, Arche made herself a seat on the counter. _What should I say to her...? I don't know much about her at all..._

"So, Arche... Have you been making a lot of friends...?"

"Yep! I have six really good friends!"

"Humans, or half-elves...?"

"Those six are humans, though I'm friends with Lungdrom, who's a half-elf!"

"Humans... Do they know...?"

"Yep! And they accepted me..." _And Chester..._

"That's nice. Tell me about them."

"Well, Klarth's a researcher in Euclid! And he's a summoner! He knows a lot of stuff, but he's a perv... and his ego's _way_ too big. He's twenty-nine years old, and sometimes he _really_ sounds like an old man! Then there's his assistant, Milard. She's kind to everyone except Klarth... She really knows how to deal with him! It's kinda funny to watch. And then..." _The rest haven't been born yet... I want to see them, but..._

"Then...?"

"Well, there's Suzu-chan! She's a ninja. She tries not to show her emotions and stuff, but you can read them after a little while of knowing her. And then Mint-chan is really sweet! She's a cleric, and she's good at just about everything. She likes Cless, who's a swordsman! He's also kind, and likes helping people... He's good at protecting people. And you can't forget that he's sexy!" _And finally..._

"Who's the last one?"

"Eh?"

"You said there were six, right?"

"...His name's Chester..."

Ruche paused in cooking to watch her daughter. Something in Arche's tone of voice troubled the woman.

_"Why are you always such a brat?!"_

"He's... a complete jerk! All he does is argue with me and tell me I'm a brat, and he's the _worst_ person at complimenting in the whole history of Aselia! He teases me and messes with me just for the fun of it! Honestly, I don't think he can say _anything_ nice!"

A smile curved up Ruche's lips as she watched the half-elf. She turned back to making the food. "He's a lucky boy..."

"Lucky _how_...?"

"You love him, don't you?"

"E-eh? Where'd you get that...?"

"I could tell by the way you were talking about him. And the look in your eyes." As she sliced up peppers, she continued, "I'd like to meet him sometime."

The girl blinked, and her eyes fell to the floor. "Yeah... I'll arrange that..."

The elf stared at her daughters again. "What's wrong...?"

"Nothing! I'm perfectly fine~!" Arche tried her best to smile and sound cheerful for her mother. But the facade couldn't trick Ruche.

"Does he not love you back...?"

"That's not it... He does..."

"Then what is it? And I'm not taking 'nothing' for an answer... I don't know when I'll get to see you again, so I want to know everything."

Arche bit her lip. When her mother put it like that, how could she refuse? "I... can't see him. Not for a long time."

"Why not? Where does he live?"

"That's the thing—he's not alive."

"Oh... I-I'm sorry...."

The half-elf quickly realized her mistake. "N-no, he hasn't died...! What I mean is... he hasn't been born yet."

"Hasn't been born yet...?" Arche could hear the confusion in her mother's voice, and she couldn't blame her.

"Well... I have a lot to tell you. You remember those people I was traveling with last time? Those were Klarth, Cless, and Mint-chan. Klarth, as I said, is from Euclid... but Cless and Mint-chan came from the future."

"From the future...?"

"Yep! Year 4304! That's the year Chester's from, too—I went there on our journey. And I went to the year 4354!"

"You... time traveled...?"

"Yep! I'll tell you all about it while you cook!" Arche then explained her journey with Chester, Cless, Mint, Klarth, and Suzu. She explained everything, how they met, how they fought Dhaos, and even some jokes among them. By the time she was done, Ruche was finished cooking and setting the table.

"You went on quite the adventure," the woman said to her daughter.

"Yep! And it was a lot of fun! And while I'm glad we finished it... I... miss everyone..."

"I'm sure they do, too..." After a moment of thought, she continued, "Being separated from someone you care about is hard... I know I'm going to live much longer than Bart, and I fear the day when I'll never be able to see him again... You're going to have to deal with that sometime, too, I'm afraid..."

"I know..."

"...One hundred and two years... I'll wait with you. Even if I'm not there, I'll wait to meet this boy named Chester."

"You have to meet Cless, Mint, and Suzu, too!"

"All right."

"Yay~!"

"But Arche..."

"What?"

"Don't try to pass the time by. You still have friends here... I'm sure your friend Klarth is lonely as well."

"I know, I know! I was thinking about going to hang out with him tomorrow!"

The women heard the door open, and a human man entered the room. He dropped his bags when he saw who was serving food.

"R-Ruche..."

"Bart... I've been allowed to visit for a short bit..."

"That's..." He was at a loss of words.

"Won't you come sit down?"

The three sat down, and for the first time in Arche's memory, the Klaine family ate dinner together. Arche talked the whole time, about big things, about little things, whatever came to mind. Well, not quite whatever came to mind—she didn't talk any more about Chester.

After dinner, Ruche took her leave, and her family sadly said goodbye to her. She walked away, with no sign of when—or if—she'd return again.

_Mom..._ Arche ran inside and straight to her room. She closed the door behind her—accidentally slamming it—and leaned on it. _Chester..._ She slowly sunk down to the ground, trying to keep the tears from coming out—but she couldn't stop them. _Why... why can't I see the people I want to see most...?!_

_"I'll wait with you. Even if I'm not there, I'll wait to meet this boy named Chester."_

_"So I guess... these flowers celebrate your birthday every year..."_

_"I don't know when I'll get to see you again, so I want to know everything."_

_"...No one could give me what I want the most..."_

_"You love him, don't you?"_

_I..._

A knock sounded on her door. "Arche?"

"I'm fine...!" Arche tried her best to sound all right. "I'm just tired...!"

"Can I come in?"

"N-no...!" She bit her lip; she messed up.

"...I'm coming in." He tried opening the door, but the girl held it shut. After a while of struggling, Bart realized that he couldn't get in; he was forced to give up. Arche listened to his retreating footsteps as he said he was going out for a short while.

The half-elf sat on the floor and held her knees tightly. _I messed up... No one was supposed to know that something was wrong... No one..._

_"It's hard being a woman sometimes, isn't it...? Men are so dense..." Milard... "Meanwhile, we're left to wait... Maybe it would be best if we took control..."_

_But... I can't take control... Chester's not alive yet..._

_"After you meet Chester again... You will no doubt live longer than him. So make the most of the time you have together..."_

_Why... why does time have to be like this...? Everyone's lives are so short compared to mine..._

_Mom and Dad... have the same problem... Mom will live longer than Dad... but she can't spend this time with him..._

A knock sounded on the door; Arche glanced up, surprised. She hadn't even heard her father return.

_Maybe I should just pretend to be asleep..._ With that thought, she silently stood and tiptoed over to her bed. She started getting in bed when a familiar voice spoke up: "Arche? Are you in there?"

The half-elf stopped dead in her tracks. _Klarth-sensei...?_

"I'm coming in." And, with that, he opened the door and stepped in without an invitation. He looked just like he had on their journey, with his obnoxiously huge hat and everything.

Arche grabbed a small book from the stand next to her bed and threw it at him. "Idiot! What if I had been changing?!"

The book missed. "I've seen it before. Well, not you specifically—"

"Dirty old man!"

Klarth chuckled and picked up the book. He walked over to the half-elf and handed it to her. "Here."

Arche took it and, to his surprise, hit him with it. Satisfied, she set it down on the bed; she then sat down next to it. "So what are you doing here?"

"Your father asked me to come. He said you weren't feeling well."

"Well, as you can see, I'm feeling just fine!"

"He also told me that your mother just visited."

"Ah..."

"Arche... You have one hundred years until you see Chester again. Are you going to waste them by pretending to be happy, or are you going to go find your happiness?"

"Find my happiness...?"

"You want the elves to accept half-elves, right? You want to see your mother. Why not set a goal; by the time you see Chester again, elves will accept half-elves? Your adventure's not done yet, is it?"

_Klarth-sensei... Trust him to know exactly what I needed to hear..._

"...Yeah! That's a good idea! But..."

"I should still have connections with the king. I can get the initial foot in. Shall we work on this together?"

"Okay!"

_One hundred years... is a long time... Especially when all you can do is wait... But, that's not all I can do. I can still be happy while waiting for him, right...? Time will pass by, and I'll see you then, Chester...!_

----

_One hundred years... Being separated by distance is nothing compared to time... It's hard to believe that that time's already gone..._ He looked up at the sky; his friends had just left. _And... I could do nothing during that time... What if she's moved on...? What if she doesn't remember...? What if she's changed...?_

"Hey, Chester...! Come on, let's get some of Toltus rebuilt quickly so we can show Arche...!"

The archer turned to his best friend, who stood across the bridge in the ruined village. _Yeah... I'm kinda scared to see her now... But I'll definitely see her again soon..._

_"I'm sure everyone in there wants you to be happy. So... make sure you do something that'll truly make you happy, okay?"_

_My happiness..._

_...You better not have forgotten me, Arche..._

**----**

**Yay, chapter three up! This one was hard... so I hope it came out okay...**

**Thank you, David-san, for looking over this chapter!**

**Expect one more chapter when I get around to writing it! And thank you again for reading this!**

**-Ayame**


	4. The Reunion

**And here's what **_**should**_** be the final chapter (I don't know what I'd do beyond this really...). So, enjoy it~!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Phantasia. It's owned by Namco Bandai.**

**--The Reunion--**

_"It's a lonely feeling knowing we won't meet for another hundred years..."_

_One hundred years... is already gone... Arche..._

"...Chester!"

"Ah...!" Startled by his friend's sudden call, Chester lost his balance on the ladder. He fell backwards, onto the ground, creating a loud _crash_. "Ow..."

Cless poked his head in. "There you are. Are you all right?"

"Dammit, Cless! Don't startle me when I'm on a ladder!"

"Sorry... Wait here, I'll get Mint—"

"Don't bother." Chester stood, brushing himself off. "If I can take Dhaos, I can take falling from a ladder. Besides, Mint has her own work to do."

"I suppose you have a point here..." Neither said something for a moment. "...Hey, Chester... do you think Derris-Kharlan will be okay?"

"There's no way of telling... I guess we'll just have to trust that the seed got there."

"Yeah..."

"...Dhaos may have been a hero to his people... but he was still an enemy of Aselia. Nothing justifies the number of people he killed."

"That's true... but..."

"He killed innocents, too... It was because of him that Ami..."

"Chester..."

"...I need to get back to work." Chester climbed back up his ladder and continued work on the house.

Cless watched, worried about his friend.

_"Hey, Cless... I'll see you again in the future!"_

_"Yeah. We'll head over to see you now."_

_"That might be weird... You guys just getting back and coming to see me... Hey, I know! Why don't you work on rebuilding Toltus some? You better show me a masterpiece!"_

_"I don't think we'll get it that good, especially not any time soon..."_

_"I'm sure you'll come find me at the right time."_

_"What time is right...?"_

_"Isn't it obvious? When Chester..."_

"...Hey, Chester, come on down."

"Eh?" the archer looked down at his friend, holding a board up.

"We're going... to see Arche!"

"Eh...?!"

_"That's a small part of what I want the most!"_

Caught in surprise, Chester leaned back a little too far with the large board; he lost his balance and fell from the ladder a second time. "Ow!"

"I'll... go get Mint. Meet us by the exit." With that, the swordsman left the building.

Chester slowly picked himself up. _Arche..._ He walked over to where his bow and quiver leaned against a wall. He picked them up and slung them over his back. _I... Am I ready for this...? How much has she changed...? A lot can happen in a hundred years... And now... we're going to see her... Why now...?_ He slowly walked to the town exit; he was there first, so he leaned against a broken pillar while waiting. _What has she been doing over the past hundred years? ...What if she's forgotten...? What if... she's found someone..._

His two companions finally walked up to him. "Is everyone ready?" Cless asked with a smile on his face.

"Yes," Mint agreed.

"...Yeah... Let's... go see Arche..." Fear gripped his heart. _Dammit, this shouldn't be so hard... I want to see her again, but..._

As they walked, Cless and Mint held hands. It wasn't unusual—after spending so much time together, they eventually realized that they loved each other. Still, it made Chester feel uneasy. _What am I even going to do when I see her...?_

They approached the valley she lived in—Lone Valley, where Klarth had obtained the summon spirit Sylph in the past. As they walked up to the door, Chester fell further and further behind. The swordsman knocked, and the three of them waited.

Before long, a young man answered the door. Chester clinched his fist, feeling uneasy.

"Hello... How can I help you?"

"Ah... We're looking for Arche..."

"Arche...?"

"Yes... Arche Klaine."

"Arche Klaine... I don't recognize that name..."

Chester didn't know whether to be grateful or angry. The good news is that this man wasn't her boyfriend, but the bad news was that now they had no idea where on Aselia the half-elf was.

"Ah... She used to live here..."

"It can't have been that recently... I've lived here my whole life."

"She's... an elf..." Cless quickly chose the easy explanation. It was a half lie, but some people still didn't like half-elves that much.

"Then why don't you try the Elven Colony? She might've gone there."

The three glanced at each other.

"She didn't..."

"She wouldn't..."

"She _would_," the archer muttered. "And she's going to get herself killed! If she hasn't already..." He turned and started walking away, his pace much quicker. "Cless, you still got those flying machines?"

"Yeah. Here, this spot should be good..." Cless pulled a small capsule out of his pocket. He opened it up, and three flying machines appeared. After thanking the man for his help, the cleric hurried over, and the three each got on a machine. They started the engines and soon lifted themselves up in the air. They quickly flew across the land, not paying attention to the civilians staring in wonder far below.

Two hours after they had first left the ruined village, they landed outside of Ymir Forest. Chester jumped off of the machine and, not waiting for the others, hurried into the marsh. He ran across the bridges, towards the elf village.

"Chester, wait up...!" Cless called from behind as the other two hurried to catch up with their friend.

A voice caught his ears. He slowed down to a walk, looking around. _That voice..._

"Is that... singing...?" Mint questioned, looking around.

"I think it's coming from this way." The swordsman led the way, his two companions following.

Before long, they reached a small clearing on the edge of the swamp. It was a lovely clearing, just far enough away from the elf village that it couldn't be counted as part of it. Trees hung over the house. It was a red house, with a tint of pink in it. The door was a bright blue, with a wreath of flowers hanging on it. The roof was mostly black, save near the very top, where it suddenly turned white.

Sitting on top of it, broom in hand, was a half-elf girl with pink hair. She sang a happy song as she stared at the trees, wind blowing through her clothes. She didn't notice her visitors as they silently stared up at her.

Her song soon finished. No one said a word for a moment. The girl sighed and stood, a feeling of loneliness in her heart. _When will they..._ She turned to slide down the front of the roof, as usual, when the appearance of guests finally caught her eye.

They stared at each other. The girl's mouth turned up into a grin, and she slid down the side of the roof. At the very end of it, she used her broom to safely lower herself to the ground. She then ran over and hugged the cleric. "Mint-chan!"

"Arche-chan..." Mint happily hugged her friend back.

"Cless! Come and give me a hug, you dense idiot!" Arche quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him into the group hug.

"Ow, Arche...!" Cless smiled. She was still the same Arche they had known before.  
Chester watched the three, standing back. _Arche... You're okay..._

Arche laughed and let her two friends go. "I'm so glad you found me! Sorry, I couldn't really tell you that I was moving here..."

"It's fine. I'm just glad you're all right!"

"Of course I am! This is me we're talking about!" Her eyes fell on Chester. "...Chester?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Why are you staring at me all funny-like?"

"I am not!" Chester sighed. "Geez, you're just as annoying as before... One would think you would've matured a _little_ in these past hundred years." The words suddenly came back to him. Even after a hundred years, she was still the same. He could still bicker with her like before.

"Wha...?! Why does the first thing out of your mouth have to be so rude?!"

"Because apparently no one's been truthful enough to you! I mean seriously, a pink house with a bright blue door?"

"It's cute!"

"It's insane!"

"Why are you always such a jerk?!"

"Why are you always so stupid?" Something occurred to Chester. "Oh right, about that quiz..."

"What quiz?!"

"I told you I was going to quiz you to see how much you remember. But looks like you just failed."

"Ah... Chester! That's mean! I remember now!"

"Too late now."

"Chester...!"

For the first time since they parted, a small grin formed on the young man's face. It soon grew, and then he started laughing.

"Chester, this isn't funny...!"

Her protests only made him laugh harder. She soon started poking him, trying to make him stop.

"O-okay, okay...! I'll stop laughing...! Just... stop poking me...!"

"You're still laughing!"

"I can't stop if you say something...!" he pointed out between laughter.

She stared at him as he laughed. _I've been waiting for this... for a hundred years... If I wait until he stops being a jerk, I'll only have to wait longer. It's time to seize the day!_

"Chester..." She put a finger over his lips, and he soon quieted down, wondering what she wanted. She then moved the finger away and replaced it with her own lips.

It was a fine line that they walked, between hate and love, yelling and kissing. The others could never keep up with it, but they could, and that was all that mattered. And now Chester fully understood that it was something special that only they shared.

_Arche... I..._

_I love you..._

**----**

**I feel like it should be longer, but there's not really much else I can do with this... So, don't expect another chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you for reading it!**

**-Ayame**


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